Resilience: Dr. Emad Rahim’s Survival Story - Worldclass Magazine

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01/01 | JANUARY 2015

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Emad Rahim

Resilience

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IN THIS ISSUE 40 HOW DID YOU DO THAT?

INTERVIEW WITH DR. MATTHEW G. KENNEY

51 The Right Connections & Relationships PAT R I C I A BARONOWSKI

17 THE THIRD VISION

SERENITY STEWART

It's a Beautiful Life

48

F R A N C I S VA L A , M D

45 SEVEN RITUALS ALL MILLIONAIRES DO JOHN MURPHY

53 ZENTREPRENEUR

ERICA PEITLER

32 Leadership Rigor

EMAD RAHIM

55 Resilience

MARIE DELCIOPPO

38 IS ‘I’M BUSY’ THE SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE WAY OF SAYING ‘EFF YOU?’

DEREK HENRY

46 Four Factors You Can’t Ignore If You Want To Be Healthy

REBEKA SHADPOUR

09 Building Her Empire During Crises

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w o r d

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w i s e

Enthusiasm is contagious!

The more interesting you are, the more desirable and wanted you become. Some people instantly make us feel important. Some people instantly make us feel special. Some people light up a room just by walking in. We can’t always define it, but some people tend to draw attention all the time without even trying. If you want to become successful, you need to be that person.

First of, to be interesting and spark attention you need to have something going on for you in life. You need to have passion and be excited and enthusiastic about it. Enthusiasm is contagious!

While working on a project related to relationship between men and women, I have noticed that the most gorgeous girls would not have a second date if they had nothing going on for them.

They appealed simply boring. And on the other had, not so attractive girls that were passionate and had a zest for life were most wanted by men. Same rule applies in success. Insert your passion into everything. Embed your passion into the pavement of your daily encounters. You will engage, excite and inspire people because that’s what passion does. Embed your passion into the pavement that leads the way.

“Get into the habit of telling people what you love or appreciate about them” Limited references create a limited life...

Expand your references. In the book Awaken the Giant within, Tony Robbins said, “Limited references create a limited life. If you want to expand your life, you must expand your references by pursuing ideas and experiences that wouldn’t be a part of your life if you didn’t consciously seek them out.”

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Interesting People realize other people are more important Interesting people realize other people are more important. You already know what you know. You know your opinions. You know your perspectives and points of view. That stuff isn’t important, because it’s already yours. You can’t learn anything from yourself.

But you don’t know what other people know, and everyone, no matter who they are, knows things you don’t know.

That makes them a lot more important than you–because they’re people you can learn Never check your phone during the conversation. Don’t focus on anything else, even for a moment. You can never connect with others if you’re busy connecting with your stuff. Give the gift of your full attention. That’s a gift few people give. That gift alone will make others want to be around you and remember you.

Never think about what you can get form them. Focus on what you can provide, how you can be of service. Giving is the only way to establish a real connection and relationship. If you focus even in part and even for a moment on what you can get out of the other person, and you show that the only person who really matters is you.

from. As soon as you learn a little about someone, ask how they did it. Or why they did it. Or what they liked about it, or what they learned from it, or what you should do if you’re in a similar situation.

Hang with Interesting people Hang with interesting people. Listen. Watch.

Soak it in. Ask yourself what it is about this person that makes them so interesting. Then DO that. Then BE that.

Remember:

Have a stunning vocabulary. Show your

The more interesting experiences you have, the more

brilliance. Use powerful and multi dimen-

interesting people you meet, the more interesting

sional words. Don’t speak like a teenager

things you see, watch, hear, read, taste, the more inter-

with primitive phrases. And of course, ask

esting places you go, the more interesting you will

million dollar questions that nobody else is

become. Every single experience will add you points.

asking. Are you a mental challenge?

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BUILDING

HER EMPIRE DURING CRISES REAL ESTATE MOGUL & SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR

R E B E K A

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Rebeka Shadpour is a successful commercial and residential investment broker and short sales specialist at Wealth Road Realty in Beverly Hills, California. Not only has Rebeka attained success and recognition for her excellence in business, but she also serves as a personal coach to many of her clients.

While she experienced repeated peaks and valleys in her business and personal life, Rebeka has held onto hope for a better future and persevered through many obstacles. She has used her experiences to stop playing the victim and change not only her outlook, but to assist others as well.

Rebeka came to the United States 23 years ago. Born in Iran and spending time in various countries, she arrived here at the age of 17 with little money and very low confidence with learning the English language.

She made a small amount of money in the beginning and was able to afford a car and an apartment. It was not very easy to find her way and everything seemed vague, difficult, and out of reach. Once Rebeka started working, she realized the vital importance of a college education and personal enrichment.

Her employment opportunities skyrocketed early on. Rebeka started from earning minimum wage to working as a secretary, to a manager, and eventually becoming partner in a business. Ms. Shadpour spent several years in the textile industry from the age of 19, specializing in design, purchasing, and shipping fabrics. What set Rebeka apart was her ability to learn her customers’ specific needs. The reputation she built in her industry helped her to ask for credit while making $1.5 Million in sales in her first year. During this time, she networked and contracted with widely recognized companies such as Saks Fifth Avenue. Ms. Shadpour was at the top of her game. However, hard times would soon 1 0 W O R L D C L A S S M AG A Z I N E S . C O M | JA N UA RY 2 0 1 5

strike. Her business partner was also a serious

success, as well as hers, was not by luck

romantic interest. Her world came crashing

alone. Ms. Shadpour deeply felt the impact

down in many ways in a series of sudden

of the GFC in 2008 as she and her clients lost

events when she was seriously injured in an

vast amounts of money from the real estate

automobile accident. She spent weeks in

crash. At the time, Rebeka had a potential

a coma, only to awaken to her partner had

sale commission of $600,000 to $1,000,000

completely taken over their business, leaving

but lost it overnight, leaving her without

her with nothing. Over time, Rebeka was

six months of income and out of business.

able to rebuild her business and managed

She recounts how strenuous the situation

20 employees. Things were looking up but

was as she wondered how to maintain her

9/11 brought Rebeka and her business to

income and keeping a roof over her family.

her knees once again.

As with many businesses that have their fluctuations, Ms. Shadpour did not know how to grow her company successfully or wisely. After all, Rebeka was still learning her way as a young businesswoman. Eventually, her hard work and determination paid off as her popularity further increased and she was featured three times on the front page of her local newspaper for her expertise in fabrics and design.

Other areas of her life also grew quickly as Rebeka attended self-development and mentoring classes. Over time, she learned not only how to save her money, but how to invest it. It was at this point that she began to dabble in real estate as a hobby. Everything came together for Ms. Shadpour and she expanded her horizons with communication, clients, sales, family, and friends.

Rebeka also learned to let go of her childhood anger and fears stemming from violence and wars she lived through. She credits many personal development resources such as Millionaire Mind and Landmark Forum workshops, including the works of T. Harv Eker, Louis Hey, Robert Kyosaki, Deepak Chopra, and Eckhart Tolle.

She often compared herself to wealthy family members and business associates.

What Ms. Shadpour realized is that their

“We have to change our being by understanding each piece of information and using it to take the next steps.

Separating oneself from anxiety, negative beliefs, and negative emotions will facilitate this growth.�

It was at that point that Rebeka started connecting to God and asking how she could save her family’s well-being, home, and her business. After losing three businesses and laying off 40 employees, Rebeka was looking for a miracle. If she was so active in business and could barely make ends meet, how did other people handle such a crisis? She wondered how she could use her knowledge and tools to find her way again. The answer came when she decided to work with lenders on short sales and foreclosures. This brought her career in a different direction that allowed her to work from home again. Rebeka learned about the lending system, banks, BPO, and the rules of short sales. Her real estate work grew and so did her reputation, earning the respect of 26 asset managers. Ms. Shadpour initially struggled with short sales but rose above the other real estate agents also competing for work in the same market. She went against the tide of the economy and by 2011, was able to revive her financial situation. Rebeka earned referrals from clients and other professionals who noticed her success rate. Because of her excellence, level of commitment, and work ethic, it came to the point where she had clients knocking down her door with work.

Luxury properties began coming her way and ever since then, it has been an

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works and how to use it positively in communicating personal needs and discovering solutions. Clients often did not know what they specifically wanted. Instead of telling her outright what their needs were, clients often asked her what she could provide. However, it is entirely possible to go incrementally from a state of confusion and stagnation to complete success.

Rebeka follows and recommends certain formulas for getting out of several kinds of negative states. She explained that, “We have to change our being by understanding each piece of information and using it to take the next steps. Separating oneself from anxiety, negative beliefs, and negative emotions will facilitate this growth.”

Ms. Shadpour further explained that finding a balance of where and how to release money and give it away will garner success in finding employment, creating opportunity, saving money, and investing it wisely to create the largest and fastest profit.

Rebeka strives to create a win-win financial situation for everyone she assists. Oftentimes, she found that people either hold onto their money too tightly or swung the other direction and overspend. It is something also seen frequently in business.

Additionally, Rebeka observed that parents who always spend money freely on their children but do not teach them how to use money, often creating a trap. This cycle then leads to what she calls an entitlement to money that may evolve into criminal activity. Without finding that balance between saving, investing, and spending, disaster awaits. On the other hand, some people never learned how to give and take, finding themselves quickly fooled interesting four years. With the belief she had, Rebeka reversed

by predatory individuals and businesses. Another formula Rebeka

foreclosures for her clients and helped them to regain hope. The

firmly believes in is in finding the roots of a problem, creating the

meltdown touched everyone, regardless of income or social status

ability to distinguish possible outcomes before disaster strikes. She

of her clientele. Ms. Shadpour worked with celebrities and multi-mil-

explains that people have difficulty confronting problems. People

lionaires and the commonality was that they were struggling with

have one thing in common: fear. The way we deal with that fear

the financial crisis, just like everyone else in the country. She had

is what sets us apart from everyone else.

her difficulties but was able to rise above and continued to increase her fame in the community.

As a personal coach, Ms. Shadpour explains that you can bring more hope and value to people when you separate yourself

The next question that occurred to Rebeka was how she could

from fear. Confronting that problem head-on is what she has

further help her community. Rebeka’s bread and butter these days

used with her clients to bring them out of anxiety and misery

come from investments, buying, selling, rehab properties, and

very quickly. People often have a negative association with

her expertise in luxury properties. She has also found fulfillment

the word ‘problem.’ The definition of a problem is that it is

in earning her clients’ trust not only in finances, but also in their

something unknown to a person. Once you take away that fear

personal lives and the difficulties found within their family dynamic.

and negative connotation, what is left is simply the unknown.

Oftentimes, her clients were dealing with divorce and debt. Rebeka

Making that separation is what paves the way toward finding

strives to provide emotional support by learning how the mind

a solution to the problem.

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Brain L E E

Down P A R O R E

A

re you or do you know someone that complains of poor

gut activation from your brain you don’t release enzymes, which

thinking, feeling bloated with low energy? In my world,

in time sets up the ideal environment for parasites because you

this is a classic sign that your gut is likely affecting the

don’t have enough hydrochloric acid for digestion. If you have a

function of your brain or vice versa.

In technical terms its called ‘The Brain Gut Axis’ a feedback system

gut issue and no one has been able to figure it out, then there’s a good chance it’s a brain-gut related issue.

with neurotransmitter and neurochemical dialogue going back

Treating it with prescription drugs and digestive enzymes will not

and forth on an on-going basis. Problem is, once this axis starts to

solve the problem. You need to reactivate the muscular activity

fail be it from either the brain first or the gut first, the result is the

necessary to stimulate proper gut motility, the release of enzymes

same. A vicious inflammatory cycle that eventually breaks down

and get blood flow and nutrients into your gut. It’s like having a

the gut through intestinal permeability (leaky gut) that sets up

weak bicep muscle that you have to activate to get strong again.

the stage for autoimmunity, a lack of self-tolerance, where your

Because it’s neurogenic based you have to fire the right neuro-

overzealous immune system starts to attack itself.

logical pathway to stimulate motility. In this case it’s called vagus

Let’s start with the gut. If you have a digestive disorder how do

nerve stimulation exercise.

you know if the brain is involved? The key question, Is there a

A key piece is how the immune system is different in the brain

motility issue or not? Which by the way is brain based? Like do

than the rest of the body. In the body there’s natural killer cells, T

you have to drink coffee or take laxatives or magnesium to have

cells, B cells, and variations of cells. But in the brain there is really

regular bowels movements?

just one main immune cell, the glial cell, but they don’t have a

Motility the movement of food through your gut is a brain phenomenon. Your brain has to fire a specific neurological pathway to

turn-off mechanism, like T suppressor cells in the body do that fight infection/inflammation.

stimulate digestive motility, release enzymes and get blood flow

This is why brain inflammation leads to a cascading effect, weather

and nutrients into your gut. From the brain its hardwired from an

it’s from traumatic brain injury or inflammation from the gut that

area located in the lower twothirds of the brain stem, called the

travels through the blood and crosses the blood-brain barrier and

pontomedullary, where 90% of the output of the brain goes via

turns on the glial cells. Turning the glial cells off is a tricky task at

the ‘vagus nerve’ to innervate the entire digestive tract of the gut.

best, in the meantime, nerve conduction goes down, and your

This essentially makes the gut one big nervous tissue.

brain/mental speed slows down.

When you lose this brain based motility, you fail to move food

As for the gut itself, it’s a story of how inflammation gets passed

efficiently along the digestive tract and it ferments, and you get

from the intestinal brush border of the gut into the brain. Gluten,

bacterial and yeast overgrowths. Anytime you don’t have sufficient

a protein composite found in wheat and related grains is but one

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example of a food source that can leave you feeling bloated, with

are all early signs of brain dementia that leads to failure in the

weight issues, joint pain, low libido and a lack of those feel-good

gut brain axis coupled with intestinal permeability or leaky gut.

chemicals that are essential to mounting a strong immune

Be careful with exercise overtraining, for it can open your gut to

response. In this scenario, it’s not all in your head, its gut inflam-

inflammation?

mation that is the root cause.

Most gyms don’t tell you that, let alone understand the impor-

Think of the intestinal brush border of the digestive tract as akin

tance of loading and unloading the correct training intensity

to the engine of a high performance Ferrari and the brain as the

and volume.

commander in chief with the immune system the moderator to what is and isn’t tolerated, with the gut the ultimate battlefront for disease.

Get it wrong and all hell can break lose in your body, and you can kiss goodbye to getting lean and mean fast with washboard abs. It’s not just the brain nervous system that can fail, the gut

More serve symptoms of brain to gut degeneration can include

nervous system can fail too through neural degeneration. Evolution

losing your sense of smell, and taste whereby you don’t enjoy

designed it that way because that is where the battle of surviv-

your food anymore, whereby nothing tastes good anymore, with

al begins. Fix your gut and most disease goes away. It’s all about

complaints of stiffness and constipation. Losing your keys, inabil-

what you can and can’t tolerate for environment dictates how

ity to locate your phone and having a hard time with directions

our genes are expressed.

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THE THIRD VISION F R A N C I S

V A L A ,

Dr. Francis Vala has been practicing medicine since the age of 25. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia, provides mental health services, as well as physical medicine, and is a Bariatric Specialist. He is also an empowerment leader, public speaker, creates audio programs, and is the author of two books.

Dr. Vala’s approach is one of prevention and education, addressing early problems before they evolve into chronic disease.

Dr. Vala treats mainly adults; however, he has aspirations for also addressing the needs of adolescents and children. Currently, his audio program targets parents of young children. He explains that maladaptive behaviors in children are often formed during these years, setting the stage toward illness later in life. If parents, teachers, and coaches are able to spot the red flags he discusses, these patterns can be broken, creating the foundation for a healthier lifestyle. Part of Dr. Vala’s message pertains to the biopsychosocial

M D

DR. VALA DEFINES SUCCESS AS HAVING THE COURAGE, DETERMINATION, AND WILLPOWER TO MATERIALIZE YOUR DREAM AND TO BE THE PERSON YOU WERE MEANT TO BE.

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connection, affirming that we are all a large, interconnected unit. If we fail to see this connection, it can lead to the myriad illnesses we experience. He quotes Bruce H. Lipton, stating: “If humans were to model the lifestyle displayed by healthy community of cells, our societies and our planet would be more peaceful and vital.” There are 50 trillion cells that work together to serve our body. If we look at the world as one body of humanity, each of us are like those little cells, playing our role and serving the bigger purpose.

Dr. Vala expounds on this, saying that if we look at ourselves with this model and not feeling disconnected, then things will fall into place. This is the theory behind his book, The Third Vision.

In the 18 years that Dr. Vala has practiced medicine, he notes that the institution’s focus is on the cure of disease. The issue he takes with this paradigm is that we do not have enough global resources to confront mental, physical, and social illness. Dr. Vala believes that we have only hit the tip of the iceberg, allocating our resources to only 10% of the problem, missing out on the other 90% who face infirmity. His expertise is in helping people understand root causes of these illnesses, focusing on the early origins before conditions evolve into diabetes or cancer.

The ICD-10 covers 30 mental health illnesses. Interestingly, many of these illnesses are rotten fruit on the same tree. Dr. Vala firmly addresses that we have failed to see the common denominator to many of these diseases before full-blown disorders arise. His

to what he aspires to be. There are three key events Dr. Vala lists that served as the impetus to make a lasting impact in our world. During the Iran/Iraq War, he lost a good friend who died while voluntarily clearing a minefield for his comrades. It spurred Dr. Vala to question the roots of why we have wars and why we are killing each other.

mission is to give people tools and knowl-

Secondly, he has friends and relatives with addictions and substance abuse problems,

edge to find solutions to transform their lives

leading him to question how addictions are formed and why it affects people. The

and prevent breakdown in overall health. If

third formative event was the sudden death of his father in 2002, who suffered

one were to ask Dr. Vala why he is consid-

cardiac arrest without showing any of the red flags for cardiovascular disease. These

ered an empowerment leader, he would be

turning points in Dr. Vala’s life led him to question why, despite all the advancements

hesitant to answer as he is on the journey

in science and technology, we experience suffering at the individual, social, and

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global levels. These topics were the basis for

of the principle his father taught him and which he lives by: “Play

his first book, The Third Vision, published in

hard, work hard, and serve hard.” Dr. Vala states that if you keep

2013. His work was a labor of love, taking 10

the balance between pleasure, taking care of yourself, and serving

years to write about his understanding and

outside of yourself, you can be very content with life.

vision for humanity and our world.

When asked how he sees himself in five years, Dr. Vala can easily

In addition to his busy career in medicine,

see himself continuously growing and learning as he is a lifelong

Dr. Vala is also creating a worldwide platform

student. He also sees further development of his audience and

to spread his message of human empow-

platform, partnerships, publishing more books, products, videos,

erment and transformation. He created

providing mentorship, teaching courses, and serving as a life coach.

a three CD audio program called How to

While he doesn’t see himself knocking on doors to advertise his

Prevent Mental Illness and Promote Mental

platform, he is building his platform and audience through online

Wellness in Your Child. Dr. Vala’s upcom-

messaging and marketing.

ing book, Heart to Heart, is a series of life stories with several authors and coauthors, detailing events that have changed their lives. Different role models such as

Dr. Vala welcomes anyone who is interested and willing to be empowered and transformed. He is also a firm proponent of using quantitative data and scales to show growth in a specific area of life, including the body, mind, soul, and social aspect.

Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey, and Tony Robbins have shaped Dr. Vala’s life and outlook. He’s also guided by Jeff Olson’s book, The Slight Edge, detailing that insignificant actions done consistently lead to significant results. A couple of rituals that Dr. Vala performs on a

FULFILL AND LIVE YOUR ULTIMATE POTENTIAL. FLY UP WITH LOVE, PURPOSE,AND PASSION.

regular basis are daily gratitude, exercise, and one-minute meditations. The science behind these practices is what drives him.

He explains that while everyone has good

Ultimately, Dr. Vala wants to create a global community of like-minded people who share the same vision to come together and use hubs and recourses as tools for their empowerment. He calls these H.E.A.T. (Human Empowerment and Transformation) hubs. Dr. Vala acknowledges that it usually takes several years to achieve critical mass. It’s not a specific long-term vision, but one more of phases of goals. The H.E.A.T. hubs follow a model of training the trainers, passing on knowledge and techniques to others. By allowing his

message, services, and products to spread, Dr. Vala’s reach will maximize, allowing for significant impacts and leading to community or global change.

and bad things in their life, which ones will

Dr. Vala’s message is multi-faceted. He believes that what distin-

we direct focus on? Being in a positive

guishes ordinary people from extraordinary people is the way they

mental frame is vital for mental and physi-

think; it depends on whether people think ordinarily or extraordi-

cal health. Dr. Vala defines success as having

narily. When we look at world leaders, they have an amazing vision

the courage, determination, and will power

that comes from thinking outside of the box and questioning every-

to materialize your dream and to be the

thing. Dr. Vala’s message to his audience is to challenge everything

person you were meant to be. He believes

because it leads to unlimited possibilities. His dream and hope is

that happiness has two aspects. The first

to help people understand the power within themselves. If we

is short-term happiness, like hearing good

discover and tap into that power, we can do tremendous things.

news or the satisfaction achieved when

Summing up his mission, Dr. Vala leaves us with the message of:

connecting with nature. Long-term content-

“Fulfill and live your ultimate potential. Fly up with love, purpose,

ment is the other half, which is the result

and passion.”

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WHAT ARE YOUR

CHILDREN TEACHING YOU?

I love my children in more ways than I can list. One of the things I love most about them is their heart. I do my best to teach them things that I have learned over the years with the outcome that they live the most fulďŹ lled life as possible.

A couple of weeks ago, my son taught me a wonderful lesson.

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M I C H A E L

B . A S I M O R

My son is in 1st grade. He just turned 7. Every morning,

started thinking, oh no, he is getting bullied. I asked

I greet him with a good morning hug, kiss and ask him

him what he did about it? What he shared with me

how he is doing. He answer is consistent almost every

blew me away. He turned to the older boy, and said,

morning. He will say, “I am outstanding!” Everyday

“Why are you doing that? You are better than this.” I

afterschool, when I first see him, I ask him how is day

said, “Wow!” “What did the older boy do?” The older

was and most of the time, his answer was the same.

boy looked at my son and said, “Nobody has ever said

He will say, “It was outstanding!” I remember the first

that to me before.” The older boy left him alone the

few times I heard this answer, I was happy and touched

rest of the morning and for the last two weeks, has

inside. When I was 7, I did not feel outstanding every

been very nice to him.

morning or afterschool.

After my son had shared this with me, I stood up with

This conversation with him and I have been going

tears in my eyes and my heart soared. I picked him

on for about two years now. Almost every morning

up, hugged him and told him how much I loved and

and afterschool, his answer was outstanding. To be

was proud of him. My son then shared with me the

honest, I started wondering if he is giving me a line of

following. “Sometimes, kids don’t always make the best

BS. I started thinking he can’t be outstanding almost

decisions because of what they are feeling,” I said, “Very

every day. Everybody wakes up on the wrong side

true.” “Does that also include you at times?” He said,

of the bed. Everybody has a lousy day.

“Yes.” I said, “Me too.” “Me too.” I took away the follow-

As I mentioned earlier, a couple of weeks ago, my son came from school. My wife said to him, “Are you going to tell you dad about your day today?” My first thought was concern. I wonder what happened at school? Did he get into trouble? So I got down on my knees and said, “Tell me about your day?”

He begins to explain about his time in morning care. Morning care is a place at his school where parents drop off their kids before going into work. The lady that runs morning care watches them and makes sure they get to school on time.

That day, he was coloring on a piece of paper, and one of the older kids was giving him a hard time and drawing all over his paper.

I immediately

ing lessons from this experience. Lessons because I have been guilty of these mistakes. Our children are always listening and learning from us. We owe it to them to step up and always be an example of possibility and not a warning how to live.

Kids will do things that we don’t want them to do and say things we don’t want them to say. Instead of punishing them, yelling at them, or losing control of our emotions, what if we remind them that they are better than the way they are acting? Trust that they know better and are just caught up in the moment. It is not like we have similar experiences in our lives, right?

I leave you with this. Stay in your heart and not in your head. Stay in the moment and breathe. Lead your children by example and trust your children will follow your lead. We all want our kids to live a better life than we have lived! The best way for this to happen is to show up at your best everyday!

All the best, love and be the change you want to see in the world!

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KEYS TO HEALTH, HAPPINESS & WEALTH! K AT R I N A S TA R Z H Y N S K AYA 2 2 W O R L D C L A S S M AG A Z I N E S . C O M | JA N UA RY 2 0 1 5

Who are you?

What is your life about?

What makes you excited?

What do you want on your journey?

Who do you want to become?

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You know why people don’t get what they want? Because they

As tony Robbins says, “If you talk about it, it’s a dream, if you

do not know what they want! They often say, “I want more money,

envision it, it’s possible, but if you schedule it, it’s real.” There are

I want to loose weigh, I just want to be happy. “ But these state-

five major keys to success. Again, it can be your finances, health,

ments have no power unless you know exactly what you want,

relationship, happiness and any other areas of your life. You are

how you want it, why you want it, and by when you want it. You

to implement these five keys into your everyday life in order to

need to be as detailed as possible.

achieve anything you desire.

02. Destroy your limiting believes and create a new empowering story!

I don’t have time to exercise. I don’t have enough money to buy organic food. Economy is getting worse and worse, so I will never be wealthy. I am already in debt, why even bother. May be next year they will come up with a magic pill to loose weigh.

01. Raise your standards!

This is first and most crucial step to progress your life. And as we know, progress equals happiness. Raise your standards in all areas of your life! If you want financial success- raise your

So which one are you? What is your story? Because your story is just a story that can be changed in a heart bit. You and I, all of us have been stock with limiting believes at one point in life. We all have different fabricated stories in our mind that keep us prisoners. Do you know what is the single most powerful force that controls your life? It is a power of choice. So choose right now, my friend, to make the decision to change your life forever. Choose to let go of your old story, your excuse, and step into a new world, a world of possibilities and freedom. Break free from your limiting believes that paralyze you and keep you from taking actions.

fitness standard as well. Everything is

You can say to yourself, “I am not smart enough, I am not pretty enough, and I was

interconnected. You can’t be overweigh

not born as a trust fund, so I’ll never be wealthy and successful.” Or you can say to

couch potato and be successful. You

yourself, “I have the power to make a decision right now to change my life. All I

can be overweigh and wealthy, but

need is within me now. Everything is ‘figureoutable’, and I will do whatever it takes

you are not successful in that case.

to reach this goal!” The choice is yours, my friend. Remember, your decision deter-

Success means mastery in all areas

mines your destiny!

of your life. As a matter of fact, look at your body right now. Your physical shape is a direct reflection of your standards! If you are not happy with your physique, make a decision right now to change! Your destiny is determined by your decisions! You have the power to say, “No more! Enough is enough!” and change your life!

We have been conditioned not to stand out and follow the crowd since our childhood. You and I are and all human beings addicted to problems. Moreover your problem is that you think you should not have any problems. When you achieve something great, people say, “easy for you”, they cannot relate. But when something bad happens, when you have a problem, they say, “I understand, I have this and that as well.” Now they connect with you. Problems are vehicles that connect human beings. Now it is the time to change that! What if you take everything as a gift?

Every single problem is a gift in life, a new experience and an opportunity to grow.

A problem is just a question that has an answer!

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03. Find a role model.

If this particular result is possible to one human being, it is possible for all of us.

Find a role model that achieved the desired results so you know your goal is attainable and sustainable and model what he/she did.

When I just got sick and labeled by western medical doctors “incurable”, I refused that tag and decided to find people that healed themselves and model whatever they did.

I have found four Lyme survivors. After researching their treatments I have found a similar pattern that I implemented on my way to recovery. Same rule applies in business, fitness, relationships and all other areas of your life. You want to loose weight?

Find someone who achieved great results and model their program. Want extraordinary relationship? Model couples with extraordinary relationships. Want successful business? Model successful business model and successful entrepreneurs. You’ve got the picture.

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PHOTO CREDIT: DYLAN MAYER http://dylanmayer.smugmug.com

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05. Take Massive Actions!

04. Put yourself in state of Absolute certainty!

Action is what will close the gap between where you are right now and where you want to be. Action is the single

You have to produce results in your mind first. Envision

force that produces results. Most of us know what to do

yourself already successful, fit, healthy and happy.

but very few do what they know. Knowing is not enough.

You remember an example of Roger the runner?

Knowing and not taking actions is not any different form not

He produced results in his head first and body just

knowing at all. You have the power in this very moment to

followed. Same concept applies in business, fitness,

change or accept. You have the choice to take bold decision

health, and relationships. In state of absolute certain-

or to hang on to what you’ve got.

ty, and only of absolute certainty you will be able to

All the power is within you, my friend. Your next decision may

take massive actions.

change your life forever. Your whole destiny is determined by your decisions. Choose to change right now! Choose health, happiness, and success! Don’t let your life run by default, choose to become a pilot of your journey! Whatever your goal is, say it out loud, “I choose to be fit. I choose to run. I choose happiness. I choose success. I CHOOSE TO DO IT NOW!”

I want you to remember right now what was the toughest time in your life that you made it through? Remember it vividly. Remember details, remember the way you felt, your emotions, and feelings.

Now think about what pulled you through? What did you decide back then to break through that crisis? Did you decide, “No more!

This is absolutely unacceptable in my life! I must change that now!” Remember that infinite power you tapped in that pulled you through. This power is available to you all the time. You do not need to go through crisis to take your life to a next level. Now remember what was your life before the crisis? You may think first it was good, but if you dig dipper, you know it was a mediocre life.

You know it was a wake up call. What did you do to turn things around? What actions did you take? And last but not least, how is your life better today?

Act as if failure is impossible, and your success will be definite. Get rid of every thought of not accomplishing your goals, whether they are health, your body image, wealth, success, love and relationship or spiritual. Be bold, and set no limits on the dreams of your imagination. Never be a prisoner of your past. Become the designer of your future. Your life will never be the same.

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WHY YOUR DATING STRATEGY JUST ISN’T GOING TO CUT IT ANYMORE

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ames Michael Sama is a blogger and speaker whose newfound popularity has attracted over 27 million readers to his website, JamesMSama.com, in less than a single year since its inception. Writing primarily on the subject of dating and relationships, James broaches difficult topics that challenge

readers to reflect on their own approaches and determine how they can live happier lives with more fulfilling relationships. James has gained his share of media attention, being featured twice by Fox News, CafeMom’s Mad Life talk show, and on multiple radio shows such as Uncovered With Dr. Laura Berman. His work is also frequently published on The Huffington Post, AskMen.com, GoodMenProject.com, and more.

JAMES MICHAEL SAMA People are jumping into relationships with essentially no foundation or bonding process between them. They are not experiencing each other, learning about each other, absorbing each other into their lives – before deciding to make a commitment.

There’s an article in The New York Times called “The End of

it. Women in their 20’s these days are lucky to get a last-minute

Courtship?” which I find to be more than a little disappoint-

text to tag along. What? No. Just, no. How is this acceptable?

ing.The article discusses how men generally put minimal

How are these conversations not being had? Is this real life? I

effort into dating or women anymore and the extent of dates

am cringing. Literally cringing as I type this from the reverber-

these days is “hey babe I’m out with some friends, wanna

ation of that line, and many others from the article in question.

come meet up?”

I look like I’ve just been gnawing on a lemon.

…That’s a date? And women are accepting? Forget that

The article discusses a girl who goes home from the club with

nonsense. It’s impossible for a man to pursue you if he just…

a bouncer and how it “only lasts 4 months.” In other surprising

gets you. Simple concept. A date is something you plan. It’s

news: The sky is blue and water is wet. People are jumping

something you pay attention to. As time goes on and you have

into relationships with essentially no foundation or bonding

gotten to know each other a little better, I think spontaneity

process between them. They are not experiencing each other,

can be good – but you will find in the NYT article, that is not

learning about each other, absorbing each other into their

the concept in question. Here is an interesting excerpt from

lives – before deciding to make a commitment. Of course

the article: “It’s one step below a date, and one step above a

much of this happens after the commitment is made, but we

high-five,” she added. Dinner at a romantic new bistro? Forget

still need to be aware of the person we are giving our time to.

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There is no finger to point here nor is there one party who

reward for minimal effort? If people are not learning these basic

should be blamed for the gradual downfall of courtship and

principles from their parents, who are they going to learn them

the systematic destruction of the monogamous 20-something.

from? Negative relationships can start at a young age and very

If women collectively refused to give themselves to guys who

easily begin a pattern that will continue into adulthood if it is

seemingly get what they want without putting in any effort,

never broken.

then men would be forced to step it up and do what it takes to get a quality woman, or they’d get no women at all. Are guys to blame? Sure, of course. Are women also? Yes.

If young men and women get a certain view of relationships in their mind, it is only natural that they will continue to gravitate towards the same type of people and the same type of

I believe one of the problems our generations are facing is a lack

scenarios, because they think that is what is ‘normal’ and it is

of role models. Who is in the mainstream really addressing these

also comfortable.

issues? Who is out there helping our youth truly value themselves and therefore not growing up into adults who accept less than they know they deserve?

It’s a vicious cycle. If men have no idea how to treat women, women who do have higher standards will eventually get so tired of being alone that they will decide to be a little more flexible in

And, who is out there teaching our young men how to treat

what they accept. Then a little more flexible. Then a little more

the women who do value themselves, and won’t accept the

flexible, until they end up with someone who…you guessed,

apathetic offer of some schmuck who is looking to get maximum

it has no idea how to treat them. Then after a few months they

How many dating advice articles do you think are floating

is no absolute when it comes to right or wrong. While there

around online? Hundreds of thousands? Millions? More? I can

of course are valuable lessons and principles to be learned,

tell you that this is the 477th article on this website, most of

and we would all (myself included) be well served to contin-

which are on the topic(s) of dating and relationships.

ue educating ourselves and work to be better with whatever

When you come across articles on this topic, you often find ‘rules’ or ‘guidelines’ of how people should act in all phases of a relationship. We are still worried about how long we should wait after a date to text or call him or her. We have arbitrary lengths of time being laid out for us by someone we have never met to tell us when to sleep with the person we are developing feelings for so we don’t send them the wrong message. We are basically inundated with do’s and don’ts that are supposed to somehow be universal.

gender we are attracted to – the truth is there is only one rule you will ever need to know when making dating decisions: There are no rules.

As a writer on the topic, I can do my best to use knowledge I have absorbed from personal experiences and endless conversations with men and women about their experiences as well, but the ultimate truth always remains – I don’t know how you or the person you are dating are feeling in your hearts and in your minds. Nobody does. No “dating expert,” no “dating coach,”

Obviously, with over 7 billion different personalities in the

no professional on the topic will ever be feeling your feelings.

world all interacting with each other on a daily basis, there

For that reason, it is always important to keep in mind that

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are single again and wondering why there are no good men left

for nothing to others. The hope is that many of us mature out of

out there. In the meantime, men are not pushing themselves

these patterns and understand that if we really want something

to act any better because they know eventually they will find

real we have to work at it – but the question becomes, how

someone who accepts them just as they are. She is very often

long is this going to take for each of us? And who is going to

that woman who just got finished lowering her standards. This

be willing (and available) to give their time to the last people

cycle makes nobody happy in the long run. So for both men and

who figure it out?

women, your dating strategy just isn’t going to cut it anymore.

We have seen the effects of the hookup culture and how it has chiseled away at what our parents and grandparents knew as dating and courtship.

These are concepts we have to figure out sooner rather than later if we want to have any hope at keeping the concept of happy relationships alive. As far as The End Of Courtship, the very last sentence in the article about a girl in California really drove it

The instant gratification “give it to me now” nature of our society

home: “For her, the old traditions are alive simply because she

has overflowed into relationships and people are becoming

refuses to put up with anything less. She generally refuses to

less and less willing to put real time and effort into building

go on any date that is not set up a week in advance, involving

something solid with another person.

a degree of forethought. “If he really wants you,” Ms. Yeoh, 29,

We are all at fault. Anyone who just assumes they can get

said, “he has to put in some effort.”’

You tell’em, Ms. Yeoh.

something for nothing, as well as anyone who is giving something

there can be no definite rules when it comes to dating. What

order to not overdo (or underdo) it, we need to put in the effort

works for one couple would destroy the next. Even more so

to let our teammate know what is best for us and makes us

– what attracted your last girlfriend/boyfriend may send your

most comfortable – otherwise they may feel as though they

new one running for the hills.

are driving down a road with their headlights off, hoping for

If you follow the ‘rules,’ you will eventually find yourself constantly worried about what you’re going to do, what you’re going to say, and when you’re going to say it. Should you text her? Call

the best. When you hear stories of great romance and relationships that have stood the test of time, do you ever hear about how he waited the standard three days to call?

her? Is it okay since you just saw her last night? Did we sleep

Do you hear about how they scoured the internet for the right

together too soon? It’s easy to drive yourself insane if you are

advice to make sure they didn’t mess it up? No – you hear about

trying to fit yourself into a box that somebody else built for

the overwhelming passion that came over them and drew two

you – without actually knowing you.

people together as if they were magnetized?You hear about

Call when you want to call. Text when you want to text. Kiss her in the middle of her sentence on the first date. Take a chance. Pay attention – if you are two consenting adults who have chemistry and are getting along great, then that is all you need to know.

Trying to conform to arbitrary rules is a great way to water down the sparking personality you are so proud of that probably got this person’s attention in the first place. Too much stress or over-thinking will never bring you positive results. This, though,

how they wanted to spend every waking moment with each other. You hear about how the world around them disappeared when their lips met.

You hear about how their past disintegrated as they realized they had finally found the person they were looking for their whole lives.You hear about how the mere presence of this person in their life inspired them to become the best possible version of themselves.

is why open communication is so important. What feels right

You never hear about the rules – because rules don’t make

to you may not feel right to the person you are dating, so in

happy, healthy relationships. Being true to yourself does.

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E R I C A

3 2 W O R L D C L A S S M AG A Z I N E S . C O M | JA N UA RY 2 0 1 5

P E I T L E R

“The first step any leader has to go through is learning how to lead themselves.”

How are they and others hardwired? How do they communicate appropriately and build relationships?

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Erica Peitler’s career has spanned from two decades of success in the pharmaceutical industry, to penning two books, to her current role as a Certified Leadership Coach. She is a pharmacist by education and training. After graduating from UCONN, she immediately forged a career in the healthcare industry and specializing as a leader in sales and marketing for a $400 Million pharmaceutical division. Erica defines success as, “…interactive, engagement, and impact.”

By the age of 41, Erica made a name for herself by being the

Peitler became a certified leadership coach and wrote her first

youngest female in her industry to steer a $2 Billion leader-

book, Open up and Say “Aaah.” In this book, Erica strives to

ship team. She didn’t get there by being a passive participant.

share her insights about transition, where you are, what changes

Rather, Erica has been interested in leadership since childhood

to make, and making the roadmap clearer. She helps people

and enjoyed watching different leadership practices and styles.

create an organizational agenda for higher performance levels

As a woman, Ms. Peitler chose not to focus on the male/female

and productivity.

dynamic in the workplace and never acknowledged the glass ceiling, so she felt she didn’t have to break through it.

Ms. Peitler spent the last eight years as a leadership coach and has worked with over 25 CEOs of medium and large businesses.

After attaining such a high level of success with her work in the

What drives her every day is that she gets to walk through a door

pharmaceutical industry, Erica chose to take a year off. During

and experience a situation that isn’t predicted or defined. Erica

that time, she went on a learning journey and took classes. It

appreciates that her work is in real-time and that every conver-

was then she realized that leadership was her passion. Ms.

sation is an opportunity to influence the lives of others.

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2 0 1 5 JA N UA RY | W O R L D C L A S S M AG A Z I N E S . C O M 3 5

Transform the Way You Lead!

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al which exists inside of you? Do you have the determination to transform that surrounds you each day into opportunities for personal growth?

onal and self-directed leadership journey into the practice of aaah! With an diagnostic tool you will identify your change readiness in any area of your

ustomized assessment for where you need to focus to get “unstuck” and

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ges, you’ll be introduced to the powerful concept of Selfhood and meet the

Building leadership capability is by far the most urgent need for companies today… and companies see the need for leadership at all levels, in all geographies, and across all functional areas. In addition, this continuous need for new and better leaders has accelerated.

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s a pharmacist and an internationally iness leader with expertise in l performance, strategic direction setting evelopment. She most recently was the mber of the global management team for

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inted in Singapore

Leadership Rigor views your development as a journey with a road map rather than a blackbox mystery! It is both a practice and a philosophy designed to accelerate your leadership performance and productivity across the life cycle of your career. Already becoming a movement, Leadership Rigor prepares you to lead yourself, teams, and organizations.

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ollar consumer healthcare organization. o tackle challenges throughout her orate career ranging from business joint ventures and entrepreneurial initiatives nfrastructures, Erica has brought insightful creativity and istic view of possibilities to her work.

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progress as a leader. Her current book is directed toward small to mid-sized CEOs, aspiring corporate leaders, and curious learners who want to find tips in leadership and useful tools. Additionally, Erica leans into the fact that most people are visual learners, hence, why Leadership Rigor utilizes strategy and decision-making graphics that can immediately be put into play.

Erica believes that, “The first step any leader has to go through is learning how to lead themselves.” How are they and others hardwired? How do they communicate appropriately and build relationships? The emotional development of a leader is a vital consideration as it factors into how to let go, trust more, and get work done through other people.

Stemming from her most recent book, Ms. Peitler plans to launch Leadership Rigor boot camps, designed to be 2 to 3-day full-immersion workshops for small businesses and family business teams.

Erica also explains that “…leadership skills and strategies often manifest as interchangeable Lego pieces. Once you’re

3 6 W O R L D C L A S S M AG A Z I N E S . C O M | JA N UA RY 2 0 1 5

comfortable with the approaches in Leadership Rigor, you open yourself up to skills in everyday practice.”

While Erica has enjoyed immense success for her earlier pursuits, she isn’t shy about acknowledging weak points along her journey.

For one, despite heading multi-million dollar teams, she found it a challenge to be a young leader. Her skills once exceeded her emotional intelligence, resulting in instances where she was possibly too direct, blazing her trail with collateral damage. Ms. Peitler understands what she did right and wrong, and isn’t afraid to own it. Early leadership training and development is something she would like to see more of with recent college graduates. Ms. Peitler acknowledges that nature and nurture are two dynamics at play in leadership. Some leaders naturally have aptitudes in communication and building relationships, which they could be either conscious or unconscious about. However, if those natural talents are not supplemented over time to nurture those skills, those leaders will fall behind in their field. Leaders need to know their impact and how it affects relationships; otherwise, there’s a blind spot. Leaders must lead themselves at a very high level.

A robust toolbox is required to deal with diversity of employees, work/life balance, and learning styles of one’s team or employees.

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For example, what is a leader going to do when their market dries up? What paths will they explore? Erica emphasizes that overcoming roadblocks is what sets people apart.

There are several points about leadership that Erica asserts to her clients: (1) leadership can be learned, (2) leadership is emotional; people have issues with power, ego, and prestige, making dynamics complicated, and (3) leadership in service of others is fundamentally being a highly emotionally intelligent leader. It’s not about me; it’s about them. Ms. Peitler agrees that great leadership is in high demand in today’s world. However, when there are no good leaders in a business, a leader can attract talent but not be able to retain it for long. She insists that leaders face huge consequences if they do not invest in their people to accelerate skill development [among leaders and their team]. Otherwise, there will be gaps, people won’t grow, and the company will stagnate.

Great leadership is a skilled profession that one must learn and practice as a conscious discipline. Erica foresees the next 5 to 10 years as a time of evolution as a leadership coach and speaker.

A large piece of her work is following the journeys of her clients and their leadership teams. In time, she would like to expand her message to on a broader scale.

2 0 1 5 JA N UA RY | W O R L D C L A S S M AG A Z I N E S . C O M 3 7

Is ‘I’m Busy’ the Socially Acceptable Way of Saying ‘Eff You?’ Back in December 2013, the poo hit the fan in my little world. I had been soooo busy and soooo stressed for soooo long that I wound up soooo in the hospital with extreme exhaustion. Since then, I have become very aware of others and my own busy-ness, and there are two truths I have discovered around being busy.

M A R I E

TRUTH #1: It’s insulting when you go on and on about how you cannot possibly do something because you are oh so busy.

When you say to someone “I am so busy,” what you are essentially saying is “You are not a priority to me.” No, this is not true all the time, but, in my findings, it is more often than not. And, more importantly, when I have dug deep into what I really mean when I tell someone I am so busy — and what others have told me when they do the same — is that we are trying to make an excuse for why we don’t want to do something for or spend time with a certain person. Simply put, it’s a socially acceptable way of saying “eff off.”

“Sorry I haven’t called.

I’ve been so busy.”

D E L C I O P P O

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I never thought about it before, but this phrase has an air of

are so busy, do something about it. Get real with how you spend

arrogance to it. This being said, it takes seconds to send a text

your time. How much time are you spending watching trashy

or an email.

reality tv shows or on Facebook?

And if you need to talk to the person live, cut the “I’ve been busy”

We all get the same 24 hours. Period.

crap. Shoot them a text or an email saying something like: “I want to know what’s been going on since we saw each other last.

When is a good time for us to talk on the phone or meet up for coffee/tea/wine?” The other person will feel fantastic because you are asking about them (and let’s face it: we all love to talk about

OUCH! Imagine having this realization while your iPhone and iPad are being confiscated and you’re in a hospital gown. Since I couldn’t bathe myself in busy-ness, I made a stark realization…

There was only ONE person to blame: ME!

ourselves and to feel wanted).

I chose to tell my clients I could fix any and all problems they had.

TRUTH #2: We are all busy… Or so we like to think.

I chose to answer my phone at midnight on a Saturday and to

Stop to think about what you are so busy doing. When I got real

jump on a plane first thing in the morning.

I made those choices.

with myself about what I was soooo busy doing, I realized I was

And in the midst of all this running around and people pleasing,

ruminating over the past, trying to predict the future, or just flat

I would go on and on about how this always happened to me.

out complaining, mainly about how busy I was.

People always treated me like this. And even if I switched jobs,

I had a high stress job. I traveled a lot, many times last minute. I had long conference calls and meetings and super tight deadlines.

I was twisting myself into a pretzel to impress people. I worked

location, friends, etc., nothing would ever change.Being a victim is annoying. What’s even more annoying is listening to someone go on and on about their victimhood.

There’s a common denominator to all of your problems —

seven days a week and all hours of the day.

Here’s the deal: No one is impressed by your busy-ness.

It’s not a badge of honor.

and successes — YOU. Unfortunately, many of us wrap ourselves in a cocoon of busy-ness

When you chronically tell people how busy you are, it actually leads others to believe you have zero time management skills. It is also WHINING! If you

to avoid dealing with our lives and ourselves. We don’t want to face the music — that we are in control — so we waste all sorts of time, money, energy, and resources to create a lot of noise around us so that we don’t have to hear the voice inside our own head and heart. The voice telling us that we are worthy. Worthy of whatever it is we want. The voice telling us that we have the power to choose.

What you choose to do and not do is your choice. If it’s a priority, you’ll find the time. If it’s not, you’ll probably say you are too busy.

Instead, own your decision and be honest about it. Amazingly enough, since I’ve dropped the “I’m busy” script, I’m actually more productive and consciously decide on whom and what I want to spend my time, which makes me a helluva lot happier and more well rested.

No more excuses.

What I do is a choice, and I own all of them, good and bad.

2 0 1 5 JA N UA RY | W O R L D C L A S S M AG A Z I N E S . C O M 3 9

HOW DID YOU

THAT?

An Interview with DR. MATTHEW G. KENNEY, an experienced entrepreneur, educator and the founder of Kenney College, a boutique graduate school offering the Master of Business Administration degree.

4 0 W O R L D C L A S S M AG A Z I N E S . C O M | JA N UA RY 2 0 1 5

2 0 1 5 JA N UA RY | W O R L D C L A S S M AG A Z I N E S . C O M 4 1

Kenney College specializes in the instruction of practicing

The learning methodology employed by Kenney College is unique

entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs. Dr. Matthew G. Kenney

within academia as they tailor the delivery of course materials to

is the author of several books and numerous peer-reviewed

the particular learning style of entrepreneurs. For example, many

articles in marketing, management, and entrepreneurship

entrepreneurs have a kinesthetic learning style, which essentially

journals. Kenney College is an online institution of higher

means they learn best by taking an active role in the learning

education. All synchronous and asynchronous communication

process rather than passively listening or observing classroom

between students and faculty is conducted via a virtual campus.

lectures. Students work with their professors to determine how

Students have 365 day per year access to the following:

they’re going to reach the outcomes prescribed in the syllabus. The

A comprehensive digital library of e-books, periodicals and

goal is to assure that students reach measurable course outcomes.

leading journals, access to classrooms featuring

As entrepreneurs themselves, Kenney College

discussion boards, multimedia presentations,

faculty knows that there may be many paths

web links and interaction with fellow students,

to achieving outcomes and strive to give the

asynchronous discuss boards and threads, real

student an active role in identifying those paths.

time participation and virtual interaction with

Essentially, students are given the academic

professors, archived chat sessions offering the

freedom to work with faculty members to

ability to review student/faculty verbal and visual

structure assignments around their particular

communications.

interests and passions.

How is Kenney College able to provide 100% tuition scholarships to the self-employed in 2015?

Who is qualified for the scholarship?

Any student accepted into the MBA

The historical mission of higher education

program in 2015. Our admissions qualifi-

is to teach, research, and serve. Colleges

cations are detailed in our course catalog,

have traditionally generated revenue

which can be downloaded via www.

through tuition, which subsidizes faculty

kenneymba.com.

research. We hold true to the mission of academia. However, we believe it is more economical—and better for faculty,

What are the benefits to students and communities from 100% tuition scholarships?

students and society—when research subsidizes tuition.

We generate revenue by performing corporate entrepreneurship related research and development for established

Economic data suggests an MBA is an excellent investment towards increasing one’s lifetime earnings and employability.

However, it is also a sizable investment.

companies. In turn, we use a portion of our

By helping our students with their tuition,

income to subsidize student tuition. We

we are helping their families, and their

keep enrollment limited so that we can

businesses. Every dollar we invest in our

keep costs low, and provide maximum

students has an economic value-added

value.

benefit for their communities. The exact

4 2 W O R L D C L A S S M AG A Z I N E S . C O M | JA N UA RY 2 0 1 5

Studies show that the majority of the selfemployed are kinesthetic learners. Essentially, we learn best by doing.

This is why we created a model where the student’s business becomes a practicum. We are the only business school that takes this approach.

economic return for communities is something we are measuring longitudinally.

What is the envelopment of Kenney College with large companies?

Our work with employers is based on a simple premise: As people grow, companies grow. It is important to understand that—evolutionary speaking—management is a branch of economics; and marketing is a branch of management. Many executives link marketing and economics easily enough, but skip over the importance of employee satisfaction. Numerous studies show a strong positive correlation between employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction. Of course, customer satisfaction tends to manifest as brand loyalty and enhanced profitability. Our role is that of an educational partner. We help employees grow personally and professionally. By extension, our client grows too.

How does Kenney College help to re-connect the culture of corporations with their entrepreneurial heritage?

Every large company was once a small start-up. As companies grow, systems develop to facilitate this growth. These systems are important, but also tend to give rise to bureaucracy and contentment that stifles innovation in the long-term.

Re-connecting with an entrepreneurial heritage is done through our proprietary corporate entrepreneurship model. It takes an organizational commitment, but the results are extraordinary.

What are the benefits of working with Kenney College?

Please list specific ones.

What we see are significant increases in employee productivity, with simultaneously enhanced employee satisfaction, and customer satisfaction. Clients also see other fruits of corporate entrepreneurship, which include the creation of new brands, innovative cost savings, and employee advancement.

How is corporate entrepreneurship linked to competitive advantage?

Many factors combine to create competitive advantage. However, studies show that companies with entrepreneurial cultures financially out-perform their competitors regardless of industry.

Studies also show that entrepreneurial firms attract better-qualified applicants, and are more market-oriented. The scholarly 2 0 1 5 JA N UA RY | W O R L D C L A S S M AG A Z I N E S . C O M 4 3

evidence is overwhelming: If you want your company to grow

qualitative knowledge that one cannot get from a textbook.

and prosper, maintain an entrepreneurial culture. If your

For example, how you must be good at being small before

company has lost it, it is possible to get it back.

trying to be good at being big.

What are the advantages of being self-employed versus working for a corporation?

There are certainly differences we can examine objectively.

Self-employment is enticing because it satisfies the inherent need for control many entrepreneurs possess. Getting paid twice—by earning a salary and building equity—is also nice. While about fifteen percent of the workforce is self-employed, this segment represents about 30% of all millionaires in the United States. However, there are also studies that show self-employed individuals—on average—earn less than equally qualified professionals in the corporate world. Entrepreneurship is a manifestation of human talent and creativity. However,

How your reputation for being ethical enhances your brand.

How money arrives when there is congruence between what you do professionally, and what you feel called to do spiritually.

Your thoughts on conventional college education?

Overall, a conventional college education will serve you well.

The economic data is clear: Education is a good investment.

Ben Franklin said education is the investment that pays the best dividend. I believe his words hold true today. While a college education is tremendously valuable, the higher education system that delivers it is going through a paradigm shift. It is a complex industry, with complex challenges.

How is Kenney College different form other business schools?

it is not synonymous with self-employment.

Sometimes there are more opportunities for entrepreneurs within existing corporations.

Studies show that the majority of the

Those who embody the traits of an entrepre-

self-employed are kinesthetic learners.

neur within an existing system are known as

Essentially, we learn best by doing. This is

corporate entrepreneurs, or intrapreneurs.

why we created a model where the student’s

What is your background in business?

business becomes a practicum. We are the only business school that takes this

I grew-up working in a family business started

approach.

by my grandfather during the Great Depression.

My first memories are of working with my

w w w.kenneymba.com

grandparents and father in our family business.

We are also different in that we have low student faculty ratios, never more than 10-1.

I launched my first solo-venture in my early twenties, outsourc-

Of course, we are unique in striving to provide free graduate

ing the production of family recipes to manufacturers, and

education when possible.

selling the finished products to supermarkets. The first question other entrepreneurs would ask me was, ‘how did you do that?’

I enjoyed teaching other entrepreneurs, which led me eventually to academia.

I served as Entrepreneur-in-Residence for my alma mater after earning my MBA. This led to becoming a business professor, earning a doctorate in business administration with a marketing concentration, and ultimately starting Kenney College in 2009.

What are some important aspects you teach at Kenney College on successful entrepreneurship?

What kind of entrepreneurship research do you perform at Kenney College?

Although we are a young college, our team is performing some of the most exciting research within the business-school arena.

For example, we are measuring the effect of corporate entrepreneurship education on large firm performance.

While business educators and practitioners are increasingly aware of the value of corporate entrepreneurship, less is known about how to use education as a tool for changing attitudes and behaviors. Our clients are truly ahead of the curve because

I think pretty much all MBA programs do a great job of teaching

they are getting answers to questions that their competitors

the science of business. What we try to integrate is the type of

are not even asking.

4 4 W O R L D C L A S S M AG A Z I N E S . C O M | JA N UA RY 2 0 1 5

1. Power hour.

Don’t be cheap, hire freelancers to start. Later when you can afford

Every successful person starts his/her day with a set of specif-

5. Never eat alone.

get a remarkable team.

ic rituals, that is called power hour. For many it looks like that: wake up 6 am

One of my good friends, real estate magnate, taught me an

drink glass of water with lemon

important lesson. He told me to never eat alone. When he just

mediation 5-15 min

started; he would call random people from political offices in

rebounding and/or jogging 15-30 min

Sacramento and invited them for lunch. It was best $40 he ever

stretching/yoga 15-30 min

spent. Those connections lead to best real estate deals you could

goal setting for the day

never possibly get without those acquaintances. Later on my

2. Hydrate!

friend became so influential in Sacramento, that even Governor

You might think like this is nothing new, but think again. Do you

6. Spend your evening with your family.

Arnold Schwarzenegger needed his support during the elections.

really drink 3 liters of water per day even before you feel thirsty? It is so important to stay hydrated though out the day for optimum

Even if you have your business dinners booked, make sure you

performance. Ditch your sodas and iced teas and sip on room

get home on time to connect with your loved ones. Your family

temperature water through out the day and thank me later.

is the most important thing in your life.

3. Do most important task first.

7. Finish your day with gratitude.

You know that task that you tend to procrastinate and leave it

That might sound cliché, but you will never feel content no matter

to “sometime later”? You must do that first thing before other

how much wealth you have accumulated unless you are grateful

smaller less important tasks of the day. Stop procrastinating and

for what you have. Spend a few minutes at nights to reflect on

get back to work.

your day and be grateful for your life.

4. Outsource.

Don’t try to save a few bucks by doing everything yourself. Do

7

only what you are best at, all other tasks should be delegated.

Rituals all Millionaires Do

Factors You Can’t Ignore If You Want To Be Healthy There are many processes your body undertakes on a

proactive in order to avoid untimely pain, disease, and even

daily basis in order to keep you functioning normally.

death. In order to even begin the healing process, we need

Unfortunately, these processes have been

to have a basic understanding of 4 main factors

hampered which has resulted in a lot of pain,

our body has been forced to deal with and how

suffering, and mental anguish.

that affects our ability to live a healthy life.

In order to live a healthy life, we need to come to

Once identified, we can then make the appropriate

grips that we don’t live in the same world that

changes in order to live a longer and higher quality

people did 50 years ago. Things have changed

of life. Without further ado, here are 4 factors you

dramatically, and we need to be much more

can’t ignore if you want to be healthy.

D E R E K Mental Stress Stress is a well-known killer, yet many people seem to ignore the fact that they are dealing with it on a daily basis, to a point that it becomes chronic and debilitates your body.

Stress creates a state of contraction and

H E N R Y

efficiently, it will slowly wear you down

properly and be free of disease. When the

and ultimately is the trump card that

body becomes nutrient deficient, simple

can initiate disease and ultimately take

processes become difficult and some

you out. Understand the signs of more

shut down altogether creating glitches

serious stress, and negate it appropriately

and stagnancy that has a direct effect on

by choosing more life promoting thoughts.

how you feel and operate on a daily basis.

Malnourishment

Many of people’s health problems origi-

an acidic reaction that upsets the normal

Living in a world of continually tilled soils

functioning of the muscles and the body’s

that are treated with various chemicals,

delicate pH balance. Not only that, but a

our food supply has become degraded to

body that is in a chronically stressed state

the point that a lot of our food has up to

has difficulty in absorbing nutrients and

50% less nutrients than it did 50 years ago.

also negatively affects the immune system, your main line of defense against pathogenic organisms and disease.

This compromised soil, which has been largely stripped of crucial vitamins, miner-

nate in a simple nutrient deficiency, and if they understood which ones they were missing, they could undertake therapeutic dosages through specific foods and supplementation in order to bring them up to speed.

Malabsorption

als, enzymes, and beneficial bacteria, can

It is one thing to get the appropriate

Until you fully understand how stress

no longer supply us with the nutrients

nutrients into your body, and often quite

affects you, and how to deal with it

our body requires in order to function

another to have them properly absorbed

4 6 W O R L D C L A S S M AG A Z I N E S . C O M | JA N UA RY 2 0 1 5

in your intestinal system so they can be

proper digestive processes. In order to live

of damage done that can’t be proper-

delivered to various areas of the body

a healthy life, one must strip that unhealthy

ly rectified through a simple avoidance

where they can do their work.

biofilm and reseed with beneficial bacte-

of toxins. Although that is a smart move

ria so the healthy foods you begin eating

in the right direction, it does nothing to

will deliver the appropriate levels of nutri-

address the toxic load lodged in your body.

Malabsorption is a serious issue and has become more profound due to the proliferation of over the counter and prescription drugs, antibiotics, mercury poisoning (largely through dental fillings and vaccinations), and stress.

ents to your body.

Toxic Load Anyone who has decided to become healthier has typically addressed the toxins

This can be addressed through a variety of factors, but primarily through cleansing foods, clean water, specific herbs, appropriate sun exposure, grounding, proper mindset, and alternative therapies like

In the case of prescription drugs, even

present in the food, air, water, and person-

taking them for a very short period of

al care and household products, so the

time (3 months or longer) can affect your

intake is minimized. This is a smart move

If you are able to properly address each

intestinal tract through the development

as toxins are a major factor in low energy,

one of these factors and put the appro-

of an unhealthy biofilm (or plaque) that

ageing, and all disease processes.

priate lifestyle changes in place, you can

resists the absorption of nutrients.

However, in addition to this toxic load you

Antibiotics, mercury poisoning, and stress

are forced to deal with on a daily basis, you

can also cause absorption difficulties, and

also need to be aware of the toxic burden

makes it extremely difficult for benefi-

already present in your body through

cial bacteria to take root, which is the

bioaccumulation in various tissues of your

answer to a healthy inner ecosystem and

body. People often forget about the years

massage and acupuncture.

be assured your body will reward your due diligence by naturally healing itself.

This pays lifetime dividends and protects your most important asset - your health.

Be proactive, and be well!

2 0 1 5 JA N UA RY | W O R L D C L A S S M AG A Z I N E S . C O M 4 7

She has children and grandchildren but the way she looks does little to give that away. Serenity Stewart is a talented 58 year old jazz singer and entertainer. She has Greek, Scot and Irish roots. She grew up in a large family in the suburbs of Detroit. She describes her upbringing as old American, mid-western which meant she was always dressed up. To this day, she unsurprisingly still retains beautiful style and fashion.

From childhood, Serenity was given many chores to do because she was naturally responsible. She would do her best to complete the daily tasks early, in time to watch her favorite shows.

She had a keen interest in talk shows where she could watch Hollywood celebrities and get to know what was going on in the entertainment industry.

Her mum had a music collection in the basement. Serenity would spend her Sunday afternoons listening to these records from the 40s and 50s. With time, she fell in love with jazz music. Her family is a musical family. She says her mother would play the 4 8 W O R L D C L A S S M AG A Z I N E S . C O M | JA N UA RY 2 0 1 5

I

T

’

S

L

I

F

E

S E R E N I T Y

S T E W A R T

piano and everybody would gather around

and she taught herself how to use it. She would redesign the

and sing. She once sang a hymn in church

clothes her mother brought her. She says she handmade many of

and the church really loved it. This encour-

her children’s outfits when they were growing up. Her style is also

aged her to join the choir. She would later

influenced by Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russel, Jayne Mansfield, Bette

undergo private music training.

Davis and Barbara Stanwyck.

Serenity says her mother really wanted her

Serenity Stewart’s day starts early morning with going through her

to do opera. She was however convinced

emails, getting the day’s dose of entertainment news over a cup

opera did not represent the kind of musical

of coffee – she asserts she likes reading positive news – she also

direction she wanted to take. Today, Serenity

would usually write the lyrics of her songs around the same time

writes ballads, jazz and big band.

in addition to doing the day’s vocal practice.

Her music is inspired by Rosemary Clooney,

Often she gets requests from companies to write them a song for

Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra just to

commercial work. If she feels the commercial work requirements

mention a few. As aforementioned, Serenity’s

fit her music style, she sits at the piano and works on the song. All

fashion and style has roots in her childhood.

her music is available on iTunes. She is also on ReverbNation and

Her aunt gave her an old sewing machine

streams on many radio stations. People can also download her 2 0 1 5 JA N UA RY | W O R L D C L A S S M AG A Z I N E S . C O M 4 9

Success is how much I can give back and the priceless commodity of just being me! music app to get easier and up-to-the-

my last thought was ‘God if this is heaven,

“You often think that everything is in the

minute information about her music.

here I come and if this is not heaven and

way. But once you begin to move your life

While Serenity Stewart lives her life in full

that’s my last look, I’m all good with it’.”

in the direction you want to go, the path

today, it was not always like this. It took

Serenity is a busy woman. Her super high

just suddenly becomes clear and you find

a life-threatening experience to change

energy and ability to organize and priori-

your way.” Serenity defines success as “how

her whole perception on life. In 2005, she

tize helps her navigate her busy schedule

much I can give back and the priceless

bled out through the nose in what doctors

without getting overwhelmed. She also

commodity of just being me”.

believed was an artery that broke free.

is very deliberate with the health choices

She did not think she would survive that

she makes.

She says she gets satisfaction in her music when she sings to an old person, a person

experience. Miraculously, she did. After

She has incorporated exercise, hiking, relax-

in hospital or someone in a certain strug-

the experience, she stayed home for a

ation and good nutrition to her everyday

gle and provides some kind of therapy

few weeks to recover. Now, she is totally

life. “I find that mind-body-spirit-balance is

and relief from their difficult circumstanc-

recovered and can even joke about it.

very important and so there has to be ‘me’

es through music. In the words of her

“When they finally laid me on this table

time somewhere.” Serenity Stewart advises

friend, she says her ability to sing is only

and I looked up at the spotlight I said,

women and girls to look at themselves

a gift if she gives it back. Otherwise, it

‘Oh My God, that’s not the spotlight I

in the most positive light possible. She

remains just a talent. She advises other

was hoping for’,” she jokes, “And then I

says in a world where the media promotes

artists to fine-tune their craft and relent-

heard water running and I looked over

certain looks, body sizes and figures, a

lessly pursue their dream. According to

and (a doctor she had consulted earlier

woman must understand she is unique

the seasoned entertainer, obstacles will

about her nose bleeds)… he was an Israeli

and different. “We were born perfect; why

come, but sometimes hardships bring out

doctor and really good-looking, very dark,

try to change that?” she asks. The jazz

the best in us. Her favorite motivational

tanned and handsome and rough and I

musician tells people they will feel better

quote is “Every possibility begins with the

looked over and saw… his big biceps…

when they start to pursue their passion.

courage to imagine.”

5 0 W O R L D C L A S S M AG A Z I N E S . C O M | JA N UA RY 2 0 1 5

THE RIGHT CONNECTIONS & RELATIONSHIPS PATRICIA BARONOWSKI Listening to Patricia Baronowski, you hear a CEO in touch with every aspect of her company.

You can ask her any question about the company and she will answer you without a second’s hesitation. Patricia Baronowski is the President of Pristine Advisers, a company she found almost five years ago. The company is primarily involved in Investor Relations, Public Relations and Media Relations.

2 0 1 5 JA N UA RY | W O R L D C L A S S M AG A Z I N E S . C O M 5 1

While the company has only been in existence for half a decade,

from around the world to these conferences to present their

Patricia has a vast experience in Investor Relations. Her excellence

products. Pristine Advisers makes sure these conferences have

in the field has contributed immensely to the reason clients have

a quality audience. For that reason, not every company can be

followed her wherever she has moved to work. They made it

allowed to participate in the CEF Network. It is not all gloom

easier for her to start her own company and made up Pristine

for the startups which cannot participate in the Closed End

Advisers’ first clientele.

Fund Network. Pristine Advisers has other events like webcasts

Unlike most firms in this niche, Pristine Advisers has chosen to focus on a wide range of marketing services for businesses. It is

and podcasts that would most likely serve the needs of such a company.

quite rare to find a firm that deals with Investor Relations, Media

Patricia advises companies to constantly keep their name out

Relations and Public Relations, all at the same time. Even those

there. She says it is ill-advised to cut back on marketing and adver-

firms which deal with Investor Relations, for instance, would

tising because there are new products being introduced every-

still be specialized in a certain aspect of Investor Relations like

where every time. For any company to stay afloat, great effort

annual reports. Most choose to concentrate on a certain area in

has to be put in marketing. “You want to constantly keep your

either of the three. Pristine Advisers’ wider scoop has given it an

name out there… you’re competing for customers and clients

advantage over rival firms.

and shareholders in a very heavily populated marketplace. So, the last thing you want to do is cut back

Patricia believes in solving the problems of

on marketing, or cut back on the oppor-

the client and would not shy away from intro-

tunity to reach these people,” Patricia says.

ducing a new department in her company to try and solve a recurring issue her clients

Patricia says marketing does not have to be

are raising. This would perhaps explain why

super expensive. Unlike in the past when

Pristine Advisers offers website design and

there were very few marketing platforms

maintenance, webcasts and conferences.

like newspapers, magazines and television,

These services have been developed and

today there are many platforms especially

incorporated in what Patricia calls a trial and

in the social media that are not as expen-

error approach through the years. Today, her

sive. If you know your way around the

company is all rounded and has gained a

social media, you might be able to market

lot of experience in these areas. If the client

your products or services quite successful-

needs it done, Pristine Advisers will find a

ly without using any money. Having the

way to get it done.

Pristine Advisers’ clients are in all shapes and sizes: from start-

right connections and relationships in the media can also save you a fortune in marketing.

ups and small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Patricia

Patricia asserts, “You want to keep active in the space because

says marketing does not change in respect to the type or size of

it’s always out of sight, out of mind. So, if you’re active for the

a business. The difference is only in the audience and messag-

first month and then all of a sudden you disappear for three

ing. This is why the company can comfortably represent a wide

months, guess what; there’s fifty other people now in your

range of companies from all sorts of niches. The personnel at

place.” Pristine Advisers also helps with branding by bringing in

Pristine Advisers comes from a background of different types

an outside perspective that can help a company present itself

of companies making the company fully equipped to deal with

and its brand messaging in a way the intended audience would

most marketing challenges businesses face.

best understand.

Pristine Advisers has a Closed End Fund conference where compa-

To get in touch with Patricia Baronowski, you can send her an email

nies can come and present their products to an audience of

at pbaronowski@pristineadvisers.com and her direct telephone

investors, analysts, brokers and the media. This initiative by the

line is 631-756-2486. You can also visit the company’s website at

company has become quite successful with companies coming

www.pristineadvisers.com for more information.

5 2 W O R L D C L A S S M AG A Z I N E S . C O M | JA N UA RY 2 0 1 5

ZENTREPRENEUR John Murphy is a business coach best known for his teachings in zentrepreneurship and combining business skills with higher consciousness and spirituality. He is an award-winning author with 18 books to his name. This best-selling author has written books on leadership, innovation, teamwork, culture change, customer service and inspiration. He is the President of Venture Management Consultants, Inc., a consultancy firm he found in 1988.

He started out at a young age with an attraction

years. While he searched for the right job for him, he

towards business. He studied businesses when he was

says it occurred to him he was a deeply spiritual child

still under twenty and always had something creative

growing up. He started to piece a lot of common

he was doing that had a business twist to it. When

patterns together that priests were not doing and

he was old enough to go to college he enrolled for a

realized anyone teaching human beings to be afraid,

degree in business in the University of Notre Dame.

for religious reasons, controlling reasons or other-

He would later join the corporate world where he

wise has it all wrong. He said human beings should

discovered the fear constantly present in workplac-

learn to be less afraid, more joyful, open, creative and

es. He also noted the destructive power of unneces-

spontaneous.

sary workplace politics and the absence of healthy teamwork and healthy creativity. He says in his first job straight from college, he felt very robotic. He felt like a machine.

“A lot of people go through life with subconscious resistance – resisting new ideas, resisting new relationships, friendships,” he says noting that life is so much more than that. His holistic approach is a unique combina-

His discomfort in his first job made him try out several

tion of higher consciousness, spirituality and inner

other positions in different companies over a few

awakening to help business leaders stop leading from

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a position of fear, doubt and resistance without even realizing

and timelessness. Here, you become highly aware and highly

it. Their work environments are politically and fear motivated

focused. Get Out of the Way is John Murphy’s second book. It

and not many people are in touch with their deeper self – the

revolves around zentrepreneurship. He practices Kaizen which

spirit. “To be inspired actually means to be in spirit and in spirit

he has combined with entrepreneurship to form what he calls

means fearless. There is no fear at the spiritual level. You lose sight

zentrepreneurship. Kaizen is a Japanese word that means good

of that you become more worried about tomorrow and more

change. He defines a zentrepreneur as someone who’s willing

worried about last week or next month and not present, not

to act and take some risks on good ideas.

in the now. That’s where a lot of stress and anxiety and tension come from.” John teaches people to be present and practice higher consciousness.

John shares a devastating experience he had in high school one time when they had just won the Michigan State Championships.

He was elected to be captain of the team. The summer before

To help a business executive, John Murphy says the first question

the season, he was in hospital after a serious foot injury. He

they must answer is the reason why they are in business. They

underwent several constructive surgeries and the surgeon told

should know what value their company

him his football career was over.

offers to the marketplace. He also asks

He was heartbroken. His grandfather sent

questions regarding the history of the

him a book about courage. He read about

company, for instance, what the intention

how some athletes overcame adversity

or goal of the founder of the company

and difficulty. Inspired by these stories,

was when they created that business.

he encouraged himself. Two years down

Questions on their customers are also

the line, he was playing football at Notre

featured prominently. He then helps you

Dame.

answer these questions to improve your

John also teaches business leaders how

business effectiveness at the marketplace.

to gain credibility. He teaches them the

His work is to unite and align people and

difference between facts and assump-

get obstacles off the way for businesses to

tions. John says a business leader who

achieve their desired goals. These obsta-

does not have their facts straight will lose

cles could be the people themselves,

their credibility. People will challenge

outdated policies or even business equip-

them and they will look stupid.

ment that does not work as it should be.

On the law attraction in business, John

His first book, Beyond Doubt – Four Steps

says it is everything. “The law of attrac-

to Inner Peace is one of his favorite books.

He wrote it while in France when a powerful presence came over him. He says he wrote for six straight days in a hotel room. This book would later becoming 2010 Editor’s Choice Most Inspiring Book of 2010 in Toronto, Canada.

The four steps he covers in the book are Let Be, Let Go, Let See and Let Flow.

Let Be is about being aware and being in the now. Let Go is about letting go of thoughts that surface during the Let Be stage. These thoughts could be what we will do tomorrow, what people

tion returns to us in kind that which we feel, and that which we believe at the deepest level and that which we are. So, if we are feeling miserable, if we are feeling doubtful, if we are feeling afraid… we are asking for more… we reap what we sow”.

John’s ultimate goal is everyday joy and gratitude. He lives in the now, meditates every morning and wants to be present in the now. His everyday aim is to be joyful regardless of what he is doing.

said and it hurt us etc. This step gets rid of toxic thoughts that

To him, success is feeling joy now. He lives a simple life and

drive our vibrations or frequencies. Let See is a paradigm shift in

loves it that way. All his books are available on Amazon.com as

vision. Let Flow stage helps people into a state of grace, peace

well as his website.

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Resilience

Emad Rahim’s story is that of survival against incredible odds.

He had to overcome numerous challenges to achieve the success he is enjoying today. Emad Rahim was born in a concentration camp in the killing fields of Cambodia. On the day when he was born, his father was being tortured. Rahim’s father was later executed. His older brother died of starvation and illness.

He is the last of his father’s bloodline.

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Emad Rahim’s story is that of survival against incredible odds. He had to overcome numerous challenges to achieve the success he is enjoying today. Emad Rahim was born in a concentration camp in the killing fields of Cambodia. On the day when he was born, his father was being tortured. Rahim’s father was later executed. His older brother died of starvation and illness. He is the last of his father’s bloodline.

Emad did not know any of these things growing up. He had never

methodologies to improve their bottom line was ignored. He could

wanted to know his history until 2008 when he found informa-

now implement the ideas he had tried to sell to his seniors in the

tion about his roots during a project he was undertaking. He

other organization. His non-profit, Human Service Association

thinks this discovery would have probably destroyed him if he

soon grew and turned into a full profit.

had found out during his teenage years. He is thankful this information got to him in the right time and made him stronger and revitalized his resolve to succeed. He says he realized he needed to succeed and make his father proud.

Resilience: From the Killing Fields to the Boardroom is the title of Rahim’s upcoming book. He expects the book to be released in January 2015. The book is a motivation booster. It is taking bits of his story and tying them to his survival, his adapting,

Emad grew up in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York in the 80s when

his leadership philosophy and the transformation his story and

the area was full of gangs and drug dealing. His family moved

experiences can bring – SALT (Survival, Adapting, Leadership and

out of the area after he got shot being at the wrong place at the

Transformation). The target audience for the book is young people

wrong time. For him, this was a blessing in disguise: it gave him a

fresh out of college, mid-level managers in need of motivation and

chance to live a different life and even pursue college education,

community leaders trying to figure out a way to move forward

something no one in the neighborhood had done.

from a place of frustration. He hopes leaders can use examples

Emad says he watched some of his friends have kids at a very young

and experiences outlined in his book to become better leaders.

age, others imprisoned and even others die in gang violence. This

Speaking on education, Rahim says today there are very many

made him yearn for a better life. He did not want to end up like his

ways of learning that you need not go through the educational

friends. This motivated him to focus on school. Consequently, his

system in the traditional sense of the phrase to achieve learning.

graduation from high school was a great self-esteem booster and

The options for learning are numerous and anyone can find the

it made him want to go to college and pursue further education.

type of classroom that can accommodate their learning abilities and

He says he discovered he was dyslexic and ended up going to

personality. He believes if he succeeded, no one is an exception.

a community college where he struggled through learning. He

“You don’t have to go to college to be successful. College is not

would later find educational programs designed for people with

for everyone. But you should have a game plan. There should be

difficulty in learning. He joined Empire State College where he says

an end goal. You should be motivated to do something differ-

he accelerated and matured in that environment. Emad Rahim

ent,” he says.

is an entrepreneur, a business leader and an associate professor and program director at Bellevue University. He says he went from hating education and barely graduating high school to earning his doctorate, something he never thought he could ever achieve.

Today, Rahim is celebrated for his exceptional talent for making swift assessments of businesses in varied operational challenges.

Emad describes success as facing challenges, overcoming them and reflecting for satisfaction and happiness. In the next five years, he hopes to give more and connect with more people. He also hopes to grow his net worth and help shape the lives of young people. He says he would want to help young people identify mentors and be mentors themselves. His advice to the younger

At 24, he started a non-profit organization after getting frustrated

generation in their pursuit of success: “The main thing is to step

working at another non-profit where his idea to use corporate

outside our comfort zone… we have to start building a network

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with people that don’t look like us, that don’t come from our neighborhood.” Emad is a Muslim so he prays five times a day. He tries to eat healthy and he works out at least an hour a day. He says when he is frustrated and upset at the world, he spends time with his two daughters. “ Sometimes in order to refresh we have to get outside of the business way of thinking. We have to step outside of that and do something totally different.” He says the key to balancing a busy career and family is to make sure you include your family in your schedule. Rahim says he includes his wife in the things he is doing and avails himself to support her in what she is doing. He also makes sure he is communicating and trying to involve people in his circles to help him manage his time. It is quite easy to get in touch with Emad. He is on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. He says he is very approachable and will respond to someone who sends him a tweet.

In conclusion, Emad says, “Regardless of all of our challenges in life… we can’t constantly think about the past, we can’t change the past, but we can look at how the past shaped us as a person, how it impacted us as a person, how it changed us for the better.

It made us think different, it made us act different. And if we can do that and appreciate that and kind of look forward on how to take advantage of those …experiences we will become a better person.”

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Lou Altman describes himself as creative and energetic. He is the CEO of Globafone, a satellite communications service provider. Through his company Lou Altman has helped government agencies, corporations and the military to develop uninterrupted communications programs in remote environments across the globe. Whether he is at the gym, in the shower or at a convenience store, Lou Altman always has new ideas cooking.

While not all of them are great ideas, his undeniable success is a testament to the fact that some of them are precious gems in his business pursuits. It is no wonder he has been described as a guy who has more ideas before noon than most people get in a year.

What might surprise you is his background.

Lou Altman has a background in psychology, sociology and marketing. His entrance into the financial industry in 1988 was somewhat unplanned. While he might not have known about the 1987 crash of Wall Street, his psychology background helped him see things a little different from others 5 8 W O R L D C L A S S M AG A Z I N E S . C O M | JA N UA RY 2 0 1 5

If you love what you do,you never work a day in your life LOU ALTMAN

in Wall Street. For instance, he has always wanted to know why people do what they do and this has been one of the greatest contributors to his immense success in the satellite communications industry.

Lou has always been a hard worker. He has worked in corporations and risen through the ranks recording great strides for the companies he worked for. His guiding principle has been figuring out what needs to happen and the best tool to make it happen. If you are looking for a conventional thinker, Lou does little to fit to that description. He has always thought outside what is typical with other people in his environment. He has never been a great employee in the conventional meaning of the phrase given the creative mindset he carries with him in everything he does.

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In his last corporate position, prior to being layed off, Lou was

in the industry and how the client can position themselves to

charged with evaluating how to delivery dozens of daily pieces

benefit from the changes taking place. GlobaFone is a business

of information to 600 phone representatives at four locations.

partner in the truest sense. According to Lou, though on the

The evaluation was based on the urgency, timeliness and impor-

surface Globafone might seem like a company selling satellite

tance of the information. In Lou’s mind this called for a 3-D matrix

phones, but truly its primary business is selling time and resource

and he create one that hung n his wall. This earned Lou some

management. “Our goal is to understand our client so well that

interesting looks; after all it made perfect sense to him and took

we can have a meaningful discussion with them about topics

a lot of explanation to others. It is easy to mis-understand Lou.

that are relevant to them that solve their problems because we

He was doing great as a business executive before he started his

know what the problems are,” he asserts.

own business. His father’s death and his divorce disoriented him

Lou Altman says their clients want to know that Globafone has

and stole his focus in the marketplace. He says he was lost as he

taken care of their communication problems so that they can

struggled through his divorce; the only thing that mattered to

use their resources, manpower and most importantly, time to

him was incredibly generous visitation

achieve whatever else is on the compa-

schedule for his kids.

ny’s agenda.

Later, this chaos and downturn moment of

Lou’s states emphatically that GlobaFone

his life would lead him into a life in business

has clients not customers. He defines

– starting literally from ground zero;

a customer as a person who purchas-

homeless and having invested his entire

es goods and services from another.

retirement account into the company. As

Customers are transactions-based

he grew his company, he built it on a three-

while clients are relationship-based.

point foundation – Thrilled Loyal Clients,

Clients receive advice and information

Having Fun and Making Money.

while customers just get the product or service. Lou Altman defines a client

Some of the greatest disasters in the last

as one under the trusted protection

two decades have been a blessing in

of another.

disguise for Lou’s company. The first real test and opportunity for Globafone came

While clients stick with their products or

in the 2000’s with the Y2K bug.

service provider for a long time, customers don’t stick around if they see a ‘better

Satellite communications were identified

deal’. Customers want their product

as reliable communication channels to

or service at the lowest possible price

be used when the computer-related bug would strike conventional telecommunications systems.

The 9/11 terror attack in New York and hurricane Katrina also provided a boost for the business as many corporations realized they could use satellite communications because they would not be affected when such disasters and tragedies strike. The age of SatCom in business continuity was born, and that’s where GlobaFone has become the segment leader.

while a client wants a discussion on the needs they have, and prefer quality relationships and trusted advice to price. “ Customers are the last ones at the door because they wanted the best deal possible, which also means they are the first ones to leave,” Lou Altman says. “That is not a long-term sustainable business model, unless you are willing to compromise your support and service. Customer-filled companies need to keep

Lou says most of their clients have stuck with them through the

re-filling the pipeline to account for higher rates of defection.

years. What is his secret? Lou says Globafone has always made

Companies with clients don’t face that problem.”Where is Globafone

its clients its highest priority. Everyone in the company works to

headed? Lou says he has no crystal ball but sees a bright future

keep the client informed and up to speed with what is happening

for the company into the next decade. As the world becomes

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more connected, Lou says data is the next

everything they are supposed to become.

times, many ways,” he says, “If you love what

frontier in the communications business.

Lou sums up success as “do what I want.”

you do, you never work a day in your life.”

On a personal level, Lou Altman’s goal is

He says success is doing what you want

to impact people’s lives in a meaningful

with whom you want where you want,

way, whether one at a time, or en masse.

when you want. He advices the younger

He wants to inspire people and help them transform their lives through understand-

generation to put down their phones and engage with people for real.

ing who they are and what their purpose is.

Over 80% of communication is non-ver-

He is now in transition working to become

bal thus the need to talk to people face

a corporate trainer and professional public

to face. He also tells the young to figure

speaker to inspire others in their worlds.

out what they are good at and find a way

He wants people to commit to becoming

to get paid to do it. ‘It has been said many

Lou Altman is a committed family man.

He is married to Amy Altman. He says he likes it that he and his wife support each other in their individual endeavors.

Listening to him talk about his wife is quite obvious he is still madly in love with her as he was thirteen and a half years ago when they got married.

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YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL RICHARD BRANSON STYLE

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I am a big fan of Sir Richard Branson and after meeting him I became obsessed with his teachings. After reading all of his books and lot’s of stuff on his personal blog, I have summarized the most interesting points about success by Sir Richard Branson.

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7 ways to GiveSecret to living is Giving!

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Looking for a guaranteed road to happiness? It’s really quite simple…give to others. Make a difference in the lives of others and your own heart will be touched in return. The biggest gift after love a human being can give to others is their time. Why not to give them both?

There are so many unhappy, unfulfilled, depressed, lost souls on a planet Earth. It really breaks my heart to witness emotional struggles people go through. And most of their struggles are due to lack of purpose in life. Take a minute right now and answer this question: “What am I here to give?” Get outside of yourself and your own problems. The moment we get outside of ourselves, the moment we decide no more, we tap into capacity that is greater than ourselves.

This is unique, extraordinary human capacity, and it is available to each and every one of us right now.

You might say, “It sounds great, but I do not have the money or I do not have time.” My friend, you do not have to have extra finances to make a difference.

1. A kind word, a smile, an extra hug can make

you can keep it all to yourself. Part of it is intended

someone’s day.

to be given to others.

2. Show someone you care, be extra kind, make

Feeling stressed, depressed, and hopeless? We

that phone call that you put aside for so long and

all have our moments, sister, but it is time to

say I love you.

reroute that energy and create something bigger,

3. You can give a prayer, give your time and

something outside of ourselves.

attention.

5. Love kids? Make a visit to a children’s’ hospital!

4. You can share your knowledge and wisdom with

6. Love animals? Volunteer at local shelter or even

those that need your guidance.

better become a foster mom for furry kids. You will

Trust me, there are always millions of people that have greater problems and struggles than you

be soaked with so much unconditional love and appreciation as never before.

do, and some of those people are more fulfilled

7. Help your senior neighbor to get groceries or

in their lives just because they do not focus on

simply drop a post card for holidays.

their own problems. 75% of the planet lives on $2 dollars a day. What you think is a financial problem is a blessing for someone else. An Indian proverb says, “Good people, like clouds, receive only to give away.” Whatever good happens in your life is not so

There are tons of ways to get involved. You see, to feel depressed and hopeless is to focus on what you are missing. To feel fulfilled is to help/serve others. Choice is yours, my friend!

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